Fulling-mill.



No. 634,943. Patented Uct. l7, I899.

A. s. HOPKINS.

FULLING MILL.

(Applicatinn filed Jan. so, 1599. n Modem 3 Sheets$heat Witnesses. Inve tor.

Attorney;

Patented Oct. l7, I899. A. S. HOPKINS.

FULLING MILL.

(Application filed Jgn. 80, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.,

.(No Model.)

I n v ntor. 121812 116022 Lsl /af/fz's.

Witnesses.

Attorneys.

Patented Oct. l7, I899; A. s. HOPKINS.

FULLING MILL. (Application filed Jan. 80, 1899.)

3 Shagts-8heet 3,

SQNo Model.)

I nventor. Jada S071 (Sf/ M9.

I Attorneys Witnesses.

litres STATES ADDISON S. HOPKINS, OF BRIDGETON, RHODE ISLAND.

FULLlNG-IVIILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,943, dated October 1'7, 1899. Application filed January 30, 1899. Serial No. 703,825. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ADDISON S. HOPKINS, of Bridgeton, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fulling- Mills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of machines used for felting and fullin'g woolen cloth and other fabrics. It is fully explained and illustrated in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows one side of the machine in elevation. Fig. 2 represents the opposite side of the machine with the drivingpulley and stop-motion. Fig. 3 is an open end view of the machine, looking from the left of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a vertical section of the machine, taken through on line 4L 4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an open end view of the right end of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 shows a view of trap without the cover enlarged. Fig. 7 shows an enlarged section of the block in the trap. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of parts of the stop-motion.

Fig. 9 shows the regulating device 'for the movable guide-board.

The object of this invention is to perfect the rotary felting and fulling mill, so as to remove all liability of injuring the goods in the operation of fulling and to accomplish the desired result quicker and with a more uniform effect in the appearance of the goods.

The construction and operation of the machine are as follows:

A A are the sides of the case, between which is an inclosed chamber. This case may be provided with legs or otherwise supported.

In the upper part of the case, nearits middle in the length, are two horizontal shafts D D, one above the other, Fig. 3. The upper shaft projects throughboth sides A and has bearings on leaf-springs G G, and also has on one end a gear N, that engages with a gear Non the outer end of the lower shaft D, (see Fig. 3,) which has bearings in'the sides A A and projects out on the other side to receive a driving-pulley B, which is loose on the shaft and drives it by means of a friction-clutch T. (See Fig. 5.) Each of the shafts D has a heavy roll 0 made fast on it about midway between the sides A. These rolls are placed one. above the other, and the upper roll has a little freedom of motion vertically in the sides to allow it to rise and fall with the variations in the bulk of the goods passing between the rolls. The leaf-springs G, to which the boxes of the upper shaft are attached, have small rods a a, (see Figs. 1 and 2,) connected to their outer ends, and these rods Ct extend down through flanged pieces 0 0, fast on the sides A, and have screw-nuts both above and below the flanges, by means of which any desired amount of pressure can be put on the upper roll 0. This arrangement of the springs is the same on both sides of the machine.

A box H, (see Fig. 6,) called the trap, the

length of which may be a little more than the diameter of one of the rolls C and the height a little more than half its length and its width for a little way from its inner end a little more than the face ofthe roll 0, while its sides spread out much wider at the outer end of the trap, for the purpose of preventing the cloth from crowding in against the rolls. The trap is I held on supports from the sides, with its inner end suflicientl y distantfrom the rolls 0 G to allow the cloth, should it accidentally, from being torn or imperfectly sewed together at the end or for other reasons, get between rolls and the trap, to be drawn out freely without injury when the trap discharges. The trap H has a top plate J made fast at its inner end to a cross-shaft F, (see Fig. 3,) that extends out through one side of the case A andhas an arm I] made fast on it, with a variable weight d hung on its free end. The outer end of the plate or cover J is arranged to be turned down into the trap to close the outer end for the purpose of detaining the cloth that comes through the rolls in the trap until subjected to sufficient pressure by the feeding in'of the rolls 0 to lift the plate J and the weight cl on the arm I? and be discharged into the lower part of the case. On the bottom of the trap, inside at its inner end, (see Figs. 4- and 7,) a block K, preferably made with steps or ribs on its upper side, is placed for the purpose of preventing the cloth while in the trap and under great pressure from crowding back against the roll and being injured by the rubbin g of the rolls and from bcin g carried down between the roll and trap. On the other side of the rolls are placed two guide-plates P R (seen in'Figs. 4 and 5) for the purpose of guiding, compressing, and puttinga tension on the cloth as it enters between the rolls. The guide-plate P is held stationary as near to the rolls as may be. This plate P has a vertical oval opening r in it, opposite to the middle of the rolls, narrow enough to compress the rope of cloth laterally as it passes through it to the rolls. The guide-plate R is held on trunnions e e in front of the plate Pand has an opening oin it, made round, orapproximately so. One of the trunnions e of this plate has a hearing in one of the sides A; but the other trunnion extends out through the side and has an arm It made fast on it. The outer end of the arm h has one end of a closed spiral spring 9 made fast to it, and the other end of the spring is secured to a platef, and a curved plate j,'with a slot 1' in it, has a bolt is, with its head under the plate j, projecting through the slot and plate f, with a thumb or milled nutf fitted on its outer end, by tightening which the lever can be held fast with the guide-plate R, tipped over to any desired angle to the plate P. This plate R has the effect, according to the amount of its inclination, to compress the rope of cloth on all sides, though mainly at the top and bottom, at the same time and applying the necessary tension to the cloth to produce the desired effect of uniformly stretching and maintaining the length of the cloth by havingfrictional contact with the whole exterior of the cloth and materially lessening the time re quired, at the same time producing a more even and better fulling of the goods. A roll M, made tapering from its middle toward each end, is held in bearings attached to the inside of the sides A to receive the cloth from the lower part of the case, where it is deposited by the trap H on its way to the rolls 0. The cloth while lying in the lower part of the case is liable to get looped together and draw up in that shape and choke the guides, in which case it will be torn in two or will break some of the parts unless prevented by a stopmotion. This stop-motion consists of a horizontal shaft S, placed below the roll M and having hearings in the sides A, with pins Z Z held in a frame a, between which pins the cloth is drawn on its way up to the roll M. A horizontal shaft V is held in bearings on the outside of the side A. (See Fig. 2.) A bar '0 (see Fig. 8) is made fast to the frame a and extends out through an opening in the side A, with a pin 1; in its outer end in position to raise a curved arm m, fast on the shaft V, when the bar 42 is raised by the pin-frame a. A standard Y (see Fig. 5) is securely bolted to the side A, with a stud at its upper end on which a lever r is held, the lower end of which is connected by a rod 0' to an arm 3, fast 011 the shaft V, and the upper end of (See Figs. 1 and 9.).

the lever 0- is connected to the sliding part of a friction-clutch T on the pulley-shaft D.

The operation of the stop1notion is this: lVhen the cloth becomes entangled below the pins l, it will throw them up with the frame a and bar n, causing the pin v in its end to raise the curved arm m, Fig. 8, and turn the shaft V, which will cause the arm 8 to draw on the lower end of the lever r, and the upper end of the lever 1' will throw the clutch out of engagement, and the machine will stop. The shaft V has a handle-lever 25 (see Fig. 2 secured to it to start and stop the machine by at will. A fiat plate or (see Fig. 8) is held on the bar 1) to slide with it and cover the hole in the side A.

The operation of the machine is as follows: Two ends of a cut or piece of cloth to be felted or fulled are sewed together, so as to run through between the rolls 0 like an endless rope or band and is run continuously around and around until sufficiently fulled. First, we will say it comes up from the lower part of the case through between the pins Z, then over the roll m and through the two guide-plates R P to the rolls 0 O, between which it passes into the trap H, from which it is discharged into the lower part of the case to repeat the same round until the cloth is sufficiently felted or fulled.

The operation or effect of each part of the machine upon the cloth is this: The rope of cloth in passing through the first guide-plate, because of the inclination of the plate, is pressed together from all its sides, at the same time allowing a bunch, such as made by sewing the two ends of the cloth together, to pass through, and the spring on the end of the arm 71 7 allows the plate to yield a little to accommodate any such obstruction and prevent the cloth from being torn. The guide-plate P next to the rolls with its narrow opening compresses the cloth in a lateral direction to plate R, and the two plates make the proper tension on the cloth. Between the rolls the cloth receives great pressure, which condenses it vertically; but in pushing it into the trap by the rolls against the pressure of the cover-plate J it is condensed powerfully endwise, and these condensations alternately in different directions at each passage through the rolls work the fibers back and forth to produce the felting or fulling effect on the cloth.

The pressing or condensing of the cloth in the trap in the direction of its length is one of the most important features of the rotary fulling-mill, and the great trouble heretofore with the operation has been because the'cloth when compressed with great pressure in the trap would crowd back against the rolls and be badly damaged by the rolls grinding against it. In this trap this trouble has been done away with by the use of the block K and by making the sides of the trap flaring out toward the outer end of the trap. (See Fig. 6.)

This keeps the cloth packed solid in the outer end or part of the trap with no tendency to crowd toward the rolls, because of the wedge shape of the chamber of the trap, which, in connection with the space maintained between the trap and the rolls, fully prevents injury to the cloth in the trap or by the rolls.

Having thus described myimprovem ents, I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Iatent 1. In a fulling-mill the combination with the squeezer-rolls, of a trap to receive the cloth from the rolls, having a stepped or corrugated block on its bottom inside at its inner end, and secured far enough from said rolls to allow the cloth when carried down between the lower roll and the end of the trap, to be drawn out withoutinjury to it, substantially as described.

2. In a felting or fulling mill in combination with the squeezer-rolls, a guide on trunnions to turn vertically to the line of travel of the cloth, and having an opening in it for the passage of the cloth, with means for holding the guide at any desired inclination substantially as described.

3. In a felting or fnlling mill, the combination of the rolls, a guide-plate held on trunnions and capable of being set on an incline to the line of travel of the cloth, an arm on the end of one of the trunnions with a spring connecting it to a device for holding said arm at any desired inclination,substantially as described.

4. 111 a stop-motion for a felting or fulling mill, the combination of a cross-shaft provided with a frame holding pins for the cloth to pass between, a shaft held in bearings on the side of the machine, a bar held on said frame and projecting through an opening in the side, and having a pin in one side in position to strike an arm on the side shaft, said arm, with means connecting said shaft with a friction-clutch to throw the clutch out of engagement with the driving-pulley-when re? quired, said friction-clutch, and driving-pulley, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 31st day of December, A. D. 18 98.

ADDISON S. HOPKINS.

In presence of BENJ. ARNOLD, M. E. CLEVELAND. 

